Will Trump Oust Jeff Sessions Next?

President Donald Trump has always claimed that he is a man of great loyalty. Stand with him, and he will ensure your success. Stand against him, however, and you are all on your own.

Former FBI Director James Comey learned that the hard way when he refused to pledge allegiance to the commander in chief. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney witnessed Trump’s cruelty when he publicly humiliated while a Secretary of State appointment dangled in front of him. Chief of Staff Reince Priebus is even in the hot seat with the new head of communications accusing him of being a White House leaker.

But perhaps no one in the administration is in more danger than Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

The former senator was one of the first to support Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, giving the real estate mogul and reality tv star some of his initial brushes with political legitimacy. Like many of the president’s early backers, Sessions was rewarded with a prime cabinet spot heading the Justice Department.

This nomination gave Sessions a major power boost and provided the president with a yes-man in charge — especially as Congress continued to explore Trump’s potential collusion with Russia.

If there is anything President Trump hates, however, it is someone who refuses to stand up to protect him. As the Russia collusion accusations become more serious, allegedly tying his campaign and family to foreign election interference, the president is furious that A.G. Sessions continues to recuse himself from the case.

So furious, in fact, that it seems President Trump is considering firing the attorney general himself and replacing him with someone more pliable.

“Still raging over Sessions’ recusal from the Justice Department’s escalating Russia investigation, Trump has been talking privately about how he might replace Sessions and possibly sidestep Senate oversight, four people familiar with the issue said,” The Chicago Tribune reports. “Two of those people, however, described Trump as musing about the idea rather than outlining a plan of action, and a senior White House official said no action is imminent. Several people familiar with the discussions said that Trump’s fury peaked over the weekend and that he and Sessions now seem to be heading toward an uneasy detente.”

Was the plotting just another Trump temper tantrum that needed to be ridden out, or did the president actually realize the massive repercussions that could come from booting Sessions in such a politically cynical move? Pressure from outside influences very well could have changed his game plan.

“‘No question that partywide, conservatives in the Republican Party are very concerned about the ramifications and effects of Sessions no longer being the AG,’ said [a GOP] activist, who asked not to be named. ‘A lot of people on all sides of the Republican Party are in common agreement that it would be very bad for the president and the party if the AG goes,’” reports Politico. ”The activist said part of the message is aimed at trying to ‘buck up’ Sessions, while the other part is intended to reach Trump.”

Of course, the effectiveness of their campaign depends on who is delivering the message.

“I’m 100% behind Jeff Sessions. If Jeff Sessions is fired, there will be holy hell to pay,” South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham told CNN, adding that, “This effort to basically marginalize and humiliate the attorney general is not going over well in the Senate. If you believe Jeff Sessions should be fired, use the power you have and accept the consequences.”

There is little doubt that the president has so far chosen to make Sessions miserable in an effort to make him either slink away in resignation or come back into the fold with renewed vigor — and a promise to reinsert himself in the Russia case and make it suddenly disappear.

Will the ploy actually work, or will President Trump get tired of the game and simply fire his Attorney General? As the president himself stated, “We’ll see what happens…Time will tell. Time will tell.”

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37 comments

Some on the Hill might be pissed that constituents are telling them Jeff Sessions lied in his confirmation hearings and should be canned. In opening statements during his testimony, Sessions said, "I understand the demands for justice and fairness made by our LGBT community." He vowed that "protecting their rights and their safety" would be "fully enforced." Then he turned around and said that employers should legally have the right to fire people based on their sexual orientation. He also lied when he said, "the law [same sex marriage] has been passed, the Congress has spoken, you can be sure I will enforce it." He lied when he said, "We have and will continue to enforce hate crime laws aggressively and appropriately where transgendered individuals are victims."

If he fires Sessions he will have lost most of the GOP support. Many of the R. senators are drawing a line in the sand. It will be interesting to see what happens. Either way it could mean his last hurrah. There are bills coming his way to sign. Who doubts he'll claim responsibility for getting them passed?

The mango maggot will try anything to be rid of Mueller's investigation into his Russia dealings...... all these tweets and ridiculous ranting rallies are actually to create diversions from the obvious fact that he's full of crap and lies about his Russian involvements.

Well, the Senate calendar is booked, according to Chuck Grassley (only decent statement he's made since Trump was elected). And since it appears that the Senate will "meet pro forma", there can be no recess appointment. How sad...

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